family that lost a loved one. as far as the couple that was tied up. the other couple that dorner held captive, he's willing to split the money with them. >> someone does deserve the money. everyone was there. a mystery into who does get it. we'll see you again one hour from now at 10:00 p.m. eastern. see you then. piers morgan is starting right now. good evening, everyone, i'm erin burnett in for piers morgan. we have breaking news for you tonight. we are looking live at the crippled carnival triumph, the ship that at this moment is a few miles away from where i'm standing at the port in mobile, alabama. it has literally been hell on the high seas for 4,229 people. 3,144 passengers and 1,086 crew

members. it's not over yet. carnival says it's going to take four to five hours to get the passengers off the ship, once they actually arrive. the ship will be behind me. children and those with special needs will disembark first. it's a ship that has been described as a floating toilet. some of the conditions that passengers have been telling me about have been disturbing. now, passengers are going to be carrying their own luggage, that's part of why it takes a lot of time. you have luggage for more than 4,000 people that has to get off the ship. in terms of what passengers will receive for this. they're going to get $500, a free flight home, a full refund for their trip and a credit for a future cruise. we're going to talk to passengers waiting on board. they're trying to wait to land. and they're worried families are back here on shore, there are some here who are waiting to meet them. others on ship will be getting on buses and going to new orleans or galveston texas. back in new york, donny deutsch

is going to weigh-in on what these pictures that you've all been seeing mean for the carnival brand. i don't think i need to tell you, carnival is the biggest cruise company in the world. donny is joined by new york one anchor pat kiernan, bloomberg anchor stephanie rule, and attorney ricky klyman on what's likely to be a whole lot of lawsuits. when you sign a cruise contract, you literally sign your rights away much right now i want to go to sandra endo, she's in a helicopter following that disabled ship. tell me what you see now. people may look at it and say, there's a lot more light on a ship that has no power. >> reporter: right, exactly. what you're seeing right now is the emergency generators powering some of the safety lights, some of the emergency lighting necessary to keep this boat afloat. and right now we're looking at the ship in a very different sense because of nightfall.

we've been monitoring as you mentioned, these live aerial pictures of the progress of triumph all day long. now that it's night, a very different sense off the ship. the passengers have gone down to lower decks, it's colder now. before they were on the upper deck waiving to cameras, to helicopters, to vessels that were coming to help. they were dancing when they saw the land and the shore, but now a quiet sense in the ships. if you look at the middle decks. it's very dark, showing the loss of power internally on that ship. this has been a tremendous task for carnival, for the coast guard to tow this 100,000 ton ship, that is nearly three times the length of a football field through this waterway. and obviously, it's slow going. this is a ship that normally goes about 26 miles per hour, now it's being towed at about 6 miles per hour, so obviously,

that's why it's taking so long. carnival is saying this is the largest cruise ship that will enter this channel and actually dock at the port of mobile. but i want to remind viewers and remind everybody, that actually carnival was contracted, three of its ships were contracted right after katrina to house some evacuees and one of their ships docked at the port of mobi mobile. this is not the first time carnival has had to dock in this ar area. and obviously, again for a very unfortunate event. >> sandra, thank you very much. we're going to check back in with sandra as that ship gets closer and closer to where we are. i want to talk to the people now who are waiting for this ship to finally come ashore. buddy and rob are each calling now, they're both on board the ship. i appreciate both of you taking the time. let me ask you, what's it like right now as you're almost here.

you're almost finally through this. >> we're just elated that we can see life, we can see land. we can see where the land is, anyway. we haven't seen land in five days. ne needless -- >> for me -- >> rob, i -- go ahead. >> sweet home alabama, usa. getting on land is going to be awesome. it was -- i think as the other caller said and my fellow passenger, elated. just to get us off, we're ready to be done. and be back on land shortly. >> rob, i understand you're on the ship with work colleagues. what is the hardest part for you? >> you realize how connected we are, over the last four days not

having any connectivity whatsoever. the only connection we're able to maintain is when we had sister ships come across to drop supplies and we radioed -- we were able to tap into their wifi. we're all anxiously awaiting, we see the ships coming over, and all of a sudden, everyone goes to the top deck, wire trying to text and some people got calls through. that's the hardest part, letting people know we're doing okay, the conditions aren't great by any stretch. that was probably the hardest part. >> bennie, i don't know if you can still hear me, you were on a cruise with your family, some of your grandchildren, what has been the hardest part for you? it sounds like bennie lost her connection. going days having no cell phone,

now you have service and you're having to plug in your phones. wh will you go on a cruise again, rob? that is the question for so many of you? >> i would consider it, i don't know if i would use carnival. and i can say that by just kind of hearing what some of the issues that maybe the company -- or with this ship in particular, that i've learned about. that is concerning to me. so i -- i wouldn't maybe go with carnival, but i would definitely consider other carriers for sure. i think it's a once in a lifetime thing, hopefully. you know, seeing a afire on board the ship. the one thing that stands through my mind. when you're going through the safety drills at the front end, and you hear, the worst things that can happen on the ship is a fire, you -- it sits in the back of your mind, okay. there's smoking going on, people smoke on the ship. if that unfortunate event

happened. >> you don't think it will happen to you? >> no. it's unnerving. >> rob, it certainly is. and thank you for taking the time to talk to us. good luck, i know it's going to be a rough few more hours that you have left. and joining me now is mike via and tim morgan, they gave this cruise to their wives as a surprise. this is not the kind of surprise that you all hoped you would be giving to your wives. but you're here, you drove here to come and meet them, right? >> we did. we figure d a face they recognized would be fun to see when they got off the ship. >> that's a nice thing to do. a lot of people weren't able to do that. a lot of people are getting off here and getting on buses. >> that's one of the things we looked at. it's a friendly face, it's valentine's day.

they'd rather be off getting a shower, relaxing and trying to unwined. >> i like your point, it's valentine's day. >> another surprise that we're here. >> what have your wives been telling you about how conditions have been on the ship? >> i know at least at the beginning you couldn't talk to them at all? >> right, i didn't talk to carrie until monday. the last time i talked to carrie was monday at 12:30. although she said the first 20 hours were a little bad, a little tough. since then it's been really good. their spirits are high. they're a great bunch of women, and they -- they're just having a good time. they met a lot of people on board, they're having a good time with. and they said it's not as bad as some people have said. but when you're on a boat and there's an odor, depending on how the wind blows, you're going to get it. and they have. >> and did she talk to you about how the boat has been listing? i was talking to a passenger

earlier they said a 16% list. it made sewage run across the floor. >> they did mention that, as the wind would change, the boat would lean one way or the other. the water would come pouring out. i think it's probably -- they're going to have a hard time adjusting to land. but they didn't mention it as being too difficult. i think a lot of times they're spending -- they're relaxing, laying down, trying to make the best of it. and they're all together. and the pictures we've seen of them and what we've heard from them, they're in good spirits. that's really good. >> let me bring in carrie, she's on the phone now, carrie, thank you for taking the time. tell me what it's like right now? >> right now the majority of the ship is almost home. people have been talking to loved ones all day, ever since we got reliable phone service.

there are people dragging suitcases around getting ready to deboard. >> how excited are you to see mike. i don't know if you heard him. it's valentine's day, he's excited to see you. >> yes, it will be nice to see him. we're laughing because we laugh at everything. but it will be fun. >> do you want to say anything to your wife? >> to my wife? >> to carrie. >> see you when you get here. we'll be here. we have clean clothes for you. >> surprise. >> thanks very much to all of you, really appreciate your taking the time. i know it will be really nice to see her. >> it will. it will be great. >> thank you. >> thanks again. and now i'm joined by jamie lamb, one of the passengers on the carnival triumph, she joins me on the phone. can you tell me, i've been trying to get an understanding from everybody about how bad it's been on the ship. i've heard from so many people,

the crew members have been heroic, but obviously we have all been hearing some terrible things about the sewage or having to go to the bathroom in bags or the shower. what's it been like for you? >> i think there have been some exaggerated tales. everyone is saying toilets are falling off the wall. it's unsanitary areas. but for the most parts, there are still some clean places you can sit, lay down, eat. we're just trying to make the best of it. >> and did you -- were you able to sleep in your room? i know we were talking about how some rooms on the inner part of the ship without windows there was sewage issues, it was too hot, people had to sleep outside. did that happen to you? >> we haven't been in our room in four days. we've been sleeping out on the decks every night on the lounge chairs that you lay out in, and last night we pulled them into

restaurants. we haven't been in our room on the second floor in four days. >> have you -- what has it been like with other people? another thing we heard, someone told me tonight that they had to spend literally three and a half hours in line waiting to get a hamburger. people at the back of the line couldn't get hamburgers, they were gone, they had to get a bun. were you ever worriy eied about getting food? >> yeah, i mean, i think so. there definitely -- some of the food has run out, and there has been a line for absolutely everything. i mean, the lines just don't stop. carnival has done a good job of making sure ships are coming by with provisions. about halfway through they started rationing the food. so before people were just greedy and taking loves of bread. the first day i ate a piece of bread with jelly on it, that's all i had all day.

but they have been running out of certain food. but we have been eating. >> and what is the first thing you're going to do when you get home. and also, jayme are you getting on a bus and going to new orleans or galveston, what are you going to do when you finally get off that ship? >> to be honest, i really don't know what i'm going to do. i'm supposed to be in houston covering the all-star game. i need to get back as quickly as possible. i'm hoping to pull one of those scenes from home alone and hoping someone will let me jump in their car or something. i'm a little undetermined at this point. >> jayme thank you very much. and good luck. >> thank you. >> on that ship, of course, there are more than 4,000 stories of people who have gone through this over the past few days. and the question is, what comes

next. rusty and bev's 18-year-old daughter is on the ship tonight. brian brianna, it was a gift for her high school graduation. >> you had this made for them, right? >> yes, we're ready. >> thank god it's over. >> how worried were you? i'm going to share my 3450ik row phone with all of you. when you heard about this. and did you not hear from her for a while? is that how it started. >> we heard from them on sunday, there was a fire that book out on the ship. that was our initial contact with her. >> and were you scared? >> oh, absolutely. and feel like our hands are tied, we can't help, we can't assist. you know. and they're stuck out there, and we're where we're at, definitely very scary. >> what are some of the things

you've heard about the conditions on the ship. >> the facility is not working. and the smell. and overflowing of those facilities and no air conditioning. and then limited food and no power. it's been definitely a scary ordeal for everybody, i think. >> are you worried that you could be sick or you could be -- are you feeling comfortable about that despite the conditions? >> no, i am worried about the sickness, e. coli and all the stuff that can sit in when you have a situation like that, where you're using the restroom and no place to wash your hands basically. >> thanks to all three of you. we're going to to be talking to you as the night goes on. good luck. i know it's going to be a special night for you. coming up, the port of mobile has never seen a cruise ship of this size. when we come back, i'm going to talk to the mayor. after all of this, people are disembarking in mobile, why are they getting on buses and going three to seven hours away from here? we're going to go back to new york where donny deutsch and his

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he. we are awaiting a news conference with carnival cruise lines. the ceo of the company is here in mobile. there's going to be a press conference happening 15, 20 feet from where i'm standing right now. we're going to let you listen to that live. it's a pretty desperate situation on board their ship the triumph, which is approaching the dock where i'm standing right now in alabama. a lot of passengers have got to be holding their breath about what's going to happen and where they're going to go from here. i'm erin burnett in tonight for piers morgan. joining me now tonight is the mayor of mobile. this is the biggest cruise ship to come into the port. is mobile ready for this? >> oh, yes. the cruise ship came here until october of 2011. since that time, we keep the terminals staffed so that the terminal. we got word of this monday, so --

>> you had time to prepared? >> by wednesday we were ready. and one of the things that happens during crisis like this, sometimes there are a lot of communication breakdowns, we bridged all that, and we're prepared. >> you're prepared. one thing i don't really understand, though, there's about 100 buses that are going to come here and people are going to get off the ship, and drive seven hours or three hours for a hotel room. i see hotels right across the street. >> that's about 50% of the people. a lot of people actually requested to be bussed back. they wanted to be bussed bark. we didn't understand that initially until we talked to the ceo of carnival. that's the communication breakdown i was talking about. but we are ready to accommodate any others. also, we're ready to accommodate any charter flights that might come in here, we're capable of handling. there was an assumption made about what could happen in

mobile and what couldn't. once we got a chance to talk to them, i think they understand. >> thank you for taking the time to talk with me. we're awaiting the press conference for carnival cruise lines. i want to go to donny deutsch who's in new york. you've spent an entire career building one of the biggest advertising and marketing companies in the country. earlier i was talking to a cruise expert who said, from her poll so far, there's a bigger impact from this cruise ship disaster on people's willingness to take a cruise in this country than there was from the costa concordia. how big of a problem do you think this is for carnival? >> the good news for carnival is, three months from now, six months from now, it's not going to be a problem. we live in a world where people are used to things going wrong. we've seen such horrific tragedies. nobody got hurt here. carnival has been doing everything possible to make it

right. they're going to give refunds to these people, the crew has been acting wonderfully. we took a poll tomorrow, are people taking cruises no? this will be fine for carnival. the whole cruise line industry. when people look at this they don't just go, ooh carnival, cruises offer things for people theyen cat get other places, very cheap vacations, safe vacations most of the time as far as elderly people. they will be just fine. it's hard to believe right now as we stare at these pictures. >> donny, if i interrupt -- go ahead. as we're waiting for this press conference, one other quick question. we've reported that they're going to give everyone on this cruise, 500 $. refund the cruise and begin them a discount on a future cruise, is that good from a pr perspective? should they have done more? >> that's more than they have to do legally, i think they should give these people a discount for life. i think in a strange way it will be a badge of honor for a lot of

people. if they come back telling their story, they survived it. strange as it is, they could turn it into a positive. make these 4,000 people ambassadors for carnival cruise. i know that sounds crazy. for a lot of these people this will be a story of a lifetime for them. >> i think that's interesting, when you say ambassadors, a lot of people would think anything but. that's the whole. that's what you're an expert at doing. spinning something that's negative into something that could be a positive. >> things go wrong. this is a big brand with thousands of cruise ships. as long as they were treated right during this problem. and carnival does right. carnival has got to bend over backwards and say, we're the kind of company, we take responsibility, we're standup people, things go wrong, and we're going to make it right for these people and turn them into ambassadors. >> all right. and the press conference is beginning right next to me, let's listen.

>> triumph and its arrival back in the port of mobile. the ship is approximately five miles away from the cruise terminal at this point. the ship is moving about 6 knots. the ship will be alongside at the cruise terminal between 9:30 and 10:30 tonight. as i talked about before for those of you who were here before, once the ship arrives, the process will start shortly after the 9:30 to 10:30 window. we suspect because of the loss of power on the ship, the dembarkation could take four to five hours. we have people ready to receive our guests and make all the arrangements and help them through the process.

inside the terminal there's also warm food available. there are blankets, there are cell phones and refreshments available for the guests that need that or want that assistance. our biggest focus, very honestly is to move the people as quickly as possible on to the roughly 100 motor coaches that are awaiting their arrival and move them quickly as we talked about for the options earlier on their way, motor coachwise to galveston or on their way to the hotels, they've scheduled and they've elected to do. our plan for friday is that the ship will move physically from the current cruise terminal to the repair facility here in mobile, for us to begin the assessment of the repairs. we've had a lot of questions about our crew and what is going to happen with our crew. so beginning tonight after the

last guest dembarks, our hotel crew will have the option of staying aboard the ship or move to a hotel. continuing with what's going to happen to the crew. the crew that the -- the hotel crew that is close to concluding their contract with us will go on vacation early, but carnival will make them completely whole on the compensation for the whole contract. for the crew that has recently joined the ship on contract, we'll be transferring them to other carnival ships over the coming days. deck and engine crew will remain with the vessel. and they will help us tomorrow move the ship to the repair facility. and then they will then also have the opportunity to be in a hotel. but will probably stay with the ship for a period of time as we assess and complete the repais.s that's all the information we

have tonight. and we appreciate your time and interest. >> can i ask you, once the ship is alongside and it's tied up, how long will that process take before the first passenger gets off? >> the first passenger is off, once the ship is tied up alongside will be roughly 15 to 30 minutes afterwards, the ship has been fully cleared by customs and border protection, that will not slow the process down, assist the process of finalizing everything and getting people off. it will be a relatively short period of time once the ship is secure alongside. >> how long will it take to secure the ship? >> we have done this -- we're not exactly sure how long it will take to tie up the ship. we don't have all the normal power we have aboard the ship in terms of the wenches and organizing the lines, but we believe that we can complete that process within that 9:30 to 10:30 time frame. >> can you talk about the

investigation, the legal investigation. >> i don't have that information. as i mentioned, we're focused completely tonight on our guests and getting them on their journey home. >> is there -- there are people saying they should be compensated for lost wages. is carnival looking into that? >> we need to get back, i'm sorry. thank you. >> you just heard a press conference there, terry thornton, vice president of carnival cruise lines. in a ship will dock between 9:30 and 10:30 central time. it's going to take hours for the ship to be empty. they answered some questions about the crew, they have more than 1,000 crew on this ship. this company is not headquartered in the united states. they don't have to abide by u.s. labor laws.

they don't have to abide by u.s. minimum wage. they have limited liabilities when it comes to their crew. they're going to give vacation early to crew near the end of their contract, and for those in the middle they're going to assign them to their ships. two things they didn't have to do. i'm wobderring whether you think they did a good job. >> i'll tell you my big problem with that, that was the vice president. where's the ceo. when you're disaster control, and this is something that's affected a lot of people. why is the head guy not there saying i'm in control, so to put the vice president of marketing out there, that's not the way i would tell people to do it. cl eo should be on the ground. i think they missed a very big opportunity there. >> yeah, i know -- jerry cahill, we've been waiting for him -- on the ground, we were hopeful he would be at this press conference, we haven't seen him. i can tell you, he's here. i know you have a great panel with you, right? >> yeah, erin, i'm here, we have

a great panel here at new york one, stephanie bloom, also joining us, an infectious disease specialist. we've seen these terrible images of human waste in bags on the floor. no running water. urine on the floor. how serious are any of the potential health risks? >> well, definitely even on a normal cruise, there's a potential risk for gast gastrointestinal diseases. you have an opportunity where you have 4,000 people together in one ship. in these situations, it is much more so. what i would say is, we have a condition as far as a medical situation. >> i've been exposed to all this, we see the pictures. specifically, what should i be looking for? and should every one of these people go to the doctor? >> not necessarily. i would say stay home, and try not to run to the doctor unnecessarily. however, you do need to have a

this remember hold to seek medical attention at this point. a lot of times you may not have symptoms right now, but you will after a couple days. definitely have a low this remember hold to seek medical attention. >> i'm wondering if there are a lot of ambulance chasing attorneys on the dock for the ship to land. is there any exposure for carnival? i know on the tickets there's disclaimers, do these people have a case for any type of mental anguish they've gone through? any kind of physical anguish? >> not mental. but what the doctor says is interesting. i've been looking at this ticket this ticket is the smallest print. this is seven pages of print you would need a magnifying glass to go through. if you have a physical injury or if you were in a situation where you have been with the

possibility of a physical injury. so if the doctor is correct and these people go to get tested and people actually get sick, is that a physical injury? i say yes. and if that's the case. they are in the district of florida. and if i go to florida, if i'm representing these people. i'm saying, wait a minute. let me look at punitive damages here, let me go further. and i may get tossed out of court, but maybe i shouldn't. >> this is uncomfortable for people. that's all it is. it's a horrible vacation, nightmare vacation, but they're uncomfortable right now, bored. they're on the decks waiving to the cnn helicopter. >> to put this in perspective, the atrocities we've seen, children being murdered, this is a disastrous vacation. >> it's not a disaster. over 3,000 passengers on board. believe it or not, they're

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i'm erin burnett 450er in mobile, alabama, the carnival cruise ship triumph, we have a helicopter flying over, you're able to see it, it's about 2.21 miles exactly from where i'm standing right now at the port in mobile alabama. we just heard from carnival cruise lines the ship is going to dock between 10:30 and 11:30. it could take 3 to 4 hours for them before people on that ship are actually going to be off the ship. their family members are on board the ship. your daughter carly is on the ship. we're going to talk to her in a moment. and your wife angie. tell me what happened, when angie told you this happened, what are some of the stories she told you that really stuck with you? >> when she first called me, she called me sunday night. i heard about it, and i didn't believe it, because it was her

first cruise. she called me sunday night and she said -- she was in good spirits. light mood, and then she called me monday about 1:00, and she said -- i asked her, have you eaten? we didn't know. she said, yeah, i had an onion sandwich and a bowl of water, but we're going to make it. it's just a bad situation, they'll get us going. >> she has a good attitude. there are 11 people from where you're from, you drove more than 10 hours to come here and pick up angie and carly. carly's on the phone. carly, what's it been like. you're able to teach jazzer size, you're ready for almost anything. what's it been like over the past couple days? >> it's been a little rough, you know, without toilets, that's always going to be rough on a big ole boat. but it's been okay.

everyone's come together on the boat. and we've been really safe and we've never felt like we've been in any kind of trouble. we've just kind of all come together, everybody's doors were open, letting people sleep on balconies. the crew has been amazing. whatever we needed. it's been amazing. >> your mother is sitting here looking a little shell shocked. >> are you -- and you're tearing up. >> they're announcing something on the boat right now. >> your 20-year-old daughter. >> seeing her picture on the screen, i think got the both of us. we've seen the picture we just -- >> carly, what are they announcing, have you heard the full announcement?

>> they see land, that's all we see. no, i wasn't even listening to the announcement. i should have. we went out on the balcony. that's what it was, just people needing to receive travel information, that's what the announcement was. >> she's having a good time. >> okay. and have you been able to clear customs and all of that? >> i'm sorry, what did you say? >> did you clear customs already? >> yeah, yeah, that went so smooth. it was amazing, it didn't take any time. they gave us the form ahead of time. and we got -- they called us by floor, and we all went through, and that was good. really smart. to have them come aboard and do that. that would make the disembarkment so much faster for us. it was good. it was really good. so -- >> well, all right. carly, thank you very much, and thanks very much to all of you,

i know it's going to be an emotional and special night for you. the headline was, we see land. we see land. >> carnival owns 50% of the cruise ships. they own sea born princess. they own 75% of all cruises in the world later on we see we have an airline merger. does this make them more or less accountable? >> costa concordia, that's a carnival cruise, even if you see people say, i'm comfortable going on cruises but maybe not a carnival. they're probably going to end up on a carnival cruise one way or the other. americans are consumers, they love deals.

carnival is going above and beyond to compensate these people. it will be a badge of honor. they will get on another cruise. black friday, the unemployment amount in this country but people went out on black friday to shop, because americans love deals. >> does the average person know they don't have to abide by u.s. labor laws, they don't have to abide by u.s. health rules? basically it's a foreign floating company that you're getting involved with? >> i think that's been well publicized that they're existing under these foreign flags i was on a panama canal cruise over christmas. we were on a princess ship. you see these people who are -- the employees working 12, 14 hour days, 7 days a week.

you understand they're not playing with the usual american rules. but there's a sense that the ship is a brand new, well built ship and they know what they're doing. they do this every day. >> do you think the average american sitting at home watching going, oh, i so feel for these people or con tekt you'llize it in a way, we're going to turn on news tomorrow. >> more than inconvenience. but is this -- >> is the average american staring in right now -- >> i think the average american is less cynical than the four of us. i do. i think the average american really thinks that traveling on a place that should be -- this should be a lifesaver on the ocean, the ship is supposed to be the place of safety. this is the place where you're allowed to vacation and things are fine. and you're in the middle of sewage and urine everywhere, and we think of possess ta lance and disease. the reality of the situation is, many of these people who have

spoken on your network who are on this boat, seem so acknowledging of the crew, even of carnival cruise lines and saying, it's great that they're going to give me $500. and yes, i am going to -- >> we can put up with the screwup, we can't put up with people -- >> people are safe, we're not hearing any major injuries. >> coming up, more from that cruise from hell and they're instagramming. this day calls you.

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welcome back. i'm erin burnett in mobile, alabama where the carnival triumph is getting closer and

closer to the dock, two miles away from where i am. joining me on the phone is jacob combs. i was a couple miles away. i know it's going to take more time than you want it to. perhaps another hour and a half to get here, and then disembark. you can see land right now, right? >> yes, i think that's the best thing about this. we haven't seen land since saturday. >> i know that -- i can't say i know, because i don't know how it feels. i can imagine it feels pretty wonderful, second oath to how you're going to feel when you're standing on land. i wanted to ask you, we've been hearing from carnival officials saying, they're going to take care of the crew. answering some questions from the media. i know they've offered you discounts on cruises, they're refunding your cruise and giving you $500. do you feel they've treated you fairly and well? >> i think so far, i feel pretty

okay with the job they've done. i'm more impressed with the crew on the boot. the compensation that's going to come afterwards, i think it's the last thing -- i'm sorry about that. that's the last thing in my mind. all i really care about right now is getting off the boat. i think at that point i'll assess whether or not i feel the compensation is adequate. >> jacob, thank you very much. and good luck to you. i want to go to brenda now, she's joining me on the phone. her aunt was airlifted off the ship on tuesday, she's there with about 30 members of her family. i know far from what you expected. but tell me about your aunt, is she okay? did you feel that that was handled well? and my understanding, it was a dialysis issue? >> yes, ma'am, she -- they were trying to get her off the ship from sunday evening, but the

waters were too rough. they were unable to do it, they tried again. on monday evening and that's when the coast guard was finally able to get her on another ship another ship, and they took her into the cozumel, and she did her treatment there, and they flew her back home, and she is at home as we speak. . >> all right. and just in a word, will you go on a cruise again? >> i will have to think about it. i think so, but not right away. >> all right. well, i understand that it may be too early to ask, but brenda, we will see you soon, because you are less than a mile away right now, and we are monitoring it, so you are less than a mile away from coming back on land. >> okay. that is great. i feel great. >> thank you, dear. and less than mile away and we are obviously going to have that ship behind me in our sights and not very much time. donnie, back to you. >> pat, i want to throw a theory

out for you, because it is interesting when you listen to all of the people, and everybody seems okay. >> shrugging their shoulders, yes. >> and five years from now as each one of the people are telling the story that it is elevated that collectively they put the line of the boat in their teeth and -- this is a badge of honor for them. >> and think are repebout these out there with the free passes and i was drinking for free, and so erin has asked them if they will come back and now they are saying probably, but i have to think about it, but they will be back. >> and donnie, tragedies where lives are actually lost, and plane crashes and cars and people still get on planes, and on the night of the hurricane i watched erin burnett with thigh-high water from my building and life goes on. >> in a way, have we become so

resilient as a culture with all of the terrible things that we go through that we as a culture have a e tremendous threshold, and i don't believe they will lose one customer because of this. >> we have a tremendous threshold, and there is something in the collective that you have 3,500 or 4,000 people here who have now become a primary community. the only thing that is going to change all of this is if heaven forbid, as the doctor talked about before, if there is an outbreak of some infectious disease or if there is really a sickness or injury that occurs after, this then that changes everything. >> yes, stephanie. i'm curious, and i know it is a little bit in my territory, but i believe it is a opportunity for carnival as i with was advising, take out the full page ads and use it to say that millions and millions of people come through this and it is so rare, but we take it seriously, and this is what we are doing

going forward and i am disappointed that the ceo was not there. >> the fact that the ceo is not there is a misstep and made me think of boeing and the dreamline dreamliner and all of the issues, we did not hear from jim mcinerney who did not deal with the marketing of the planes and through all of it we heard from the marketers and the chief operating officer and they want to see the man, no pun intended, at the helm. you want to see the ceo of carnival right now. >> and it does not help that the man who owns the team is staying home. >> yes, but lebron will be there. >> and given how massive the company is, it is going to be a blip from the cruise industry standpoint, move on. >> you saw the market research in front of you. i have no problem going back. okay. we have more from erin in mobile when we come back. more "likes." more tweets. so, beginning today, my son brock and his whole team

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all right. you are seeing images of the "triumph" 0.6 miles away. quickly around the table, rikki, as we watch the event happen, the net takeaways of the people, and the way they conduct themselves and cruise ships and anything coming to mind? >> well, i would not be taking a cruise for certain, but the reality of the situation is unfortunately there is going to be nothing, and i say from my lawyer's point of view, there is nothing that a lawyer is going to do for any of these people that going to make a wit of difference to the industry.

>> keep the complaints in perspective. when you go on a trip, some people hate the hotel and we have to put it through the filter that most of the people are content with how they were treated. >> this is a crisis management and is this an extraordinary opportunity for carnival out of a disastrous vacation situation. and from my perspective, i don't want to call it humorous, because it is just a story, and carnival could move on and still be a cruise tall tale. >> erin, back to you. what's the latest out there? >> well, we are waiting here and less than a mile here and as you have heard all of the people on board tell us, they can see the land and that is the big moment, and less than a mile away, and that means it is slowing down. so it could come and bd dock here any time and within the next 30 minutes as soon as that, and could take longer and then

another four to five hours to get everybody off of the ship, but the hardest thing is the actual docking, because to give the viewers a sense, it is 200,000 tons and 2 1/2 football fields long and no stabilizer and no brakes. so you can imagine that parking the ship which is what it will do when it dox at -- it docks heret at the mobile port is going to be a dicey situation, and they want to make it right. that is why it is not as quick as you might think and it could take 30 or 90 minutes before people are really able to start getting off of that ship. we are here and waiting. more and more families are are gather, and you can see the excitement on their faces as they are wait iing. i will be here as the ship comes in with our martin savidge, but "ac360" starts right now. good evening, everyone. i'm chris cuomo filling in for anderson cooper tonight.